Ryerson Mock Up Wiki
Welcome to the Ryerson Mock Up Wiki 'Where is the nearest free wifi spot? When is the fencing team holding tryouts? Is the Oakham Cafe serving chili on Tuesdays? Can I use my OneCard at Tim Horton's?' Every student attending Ryerson will at some point ask questions about everyday issues. With over 38,000 students attending Ryerson, at least one of them will know the answers to those questions but word of mouth is not enough. The Ryerson wiki would be an online means for Ryerson students to collaborate online with each other and exchange information. The goals of the wiki would be to provide answers and information about everyday questions and situations a Ryerson student would have, as well as provide links to the Ryerson website to cut down on time spent searching. This wiki is a mock-up of what the Ryerson wiki could look like. The Research As a group we conducted four interviews with first-year students and one observation of the official Ryerson website with the goal of understanding how students answer questions regarding Ryerson, and their interactions with the official information resource that Ryerson University provides. Our questions were designed to learn how first-year students go about learning outside the classroom, and to see if we can improve on that. Our findings can be reduced into three basic points. # First-year students have questions about Ryerson that are not being adequately answered. # First-year students go about answering these questions by consulting other students as well as the official Ryerson website, but this is limiting due to the fact that the students cannot consult many others quickly. # First-year students are dissatisfied with the Ryerson website in that is difficult to navigate, overloads on information and does not provide a helpful search bar. The conclusion we can draw from these findings is that Ryerson students need another way to get their questions answered as well as have their questions reach as large a group of students as possible. Ryerson also needs an alternate resource to the official website, one that addresses the multiple issues that plague the Ryerson website and assists students in navigating it. The Vision The Ryerson Wiki would be a perfect solution to these issues. The wiki is well structured, with information divided neatly under headings and sub-headings. It would prevent information overload by providing small chunks of crucial information on pages that would link to the corresponding Ryerson website page, thus cutting down on search time. The Wiki would be run by students, for students with the information on it being constantly updated and corrected. If someone uploads incorrect information, another student can look at it and easily correct it. The use of hyperlinks would make it a bridge between official and unofficial data. Multimedia additions to the Wiki such as images and videos would provide visual stimulus as well as making the process of using the Wiki easier. For example, students could find an interior map of Kerr Hall designed by an Architectural Science student, an amateur video by a Film and Television student describing a tried-and-true method for making a strong thesis, or a link to a professional external aid. The possibilities are endless when 38,000 students get together and collaborate. It would be a hub of experience, tips and notes that would not find their way onto the Ryerson website. Notably the Ryerson Wiki, though built with first-year students in mind, is meant for everybody. First-year students and high school students have the most to learn from it as they have not gained the experience and knowledge of the older students. Learning is, however, an ongoing process and there would certainly be benefits for students in later years. The wIki could be used by alumni as well, providing answers for students about life and careers after Ryerson. In addition, there is a "Talk" section at the top of each Wiki page, which could allow users to engage in page-specific question and answers, as well as a Forum section in the "On This Wiki" tab at the top of the page. These could be a useful tool for clubs and groups to take suggestions, for the University to discover what the students are saying, and for students to talk and meet with new people. The wiki could have a forum section devoted to prospective students, where a high school student would be able to ask questions to current students and gain inside information about Ryerson. For example, a high school student having trouble navigating the Ryerson website would be able to post a question on the wiki and get a link to the correct page. In our research one interviewee even said the official website was a negative factor in deciding to come to Ryerson University, and could have dissuaded him altogether. The Mechanics It would require a my.Ryerson username and password in order for students to be able to post information for both security reasons and accuracy. Alumni who have graduated in the past five years would be able to post information if they can provide their old student number and confirm that they did attend Ryerson. Staff could also choose to upload informatin if they provide a username and password. Student-uploaded information and questions would be anonymous on the surface to prevent ghosting behaviour, protect privacy and encourage participation. However the network would keep a record of who posted what in order to deter attempts at online vandalism and innapropriate behaviour. To prevent online vandalism, as well as keep the information uploaded correct, a team of volunteer student moderators would be in charge of various sections of the wiki to insure proper conduct is followed. Ryerson University could create an internal server or operate the Wiki through the actual Wikia.com host. Latest activity Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Find videos about your topic by exploring Wikia's Video Library. Category:Browse